| | Contents | |
| | | |
| |
| I | Goals and Forms in Scientific Writing | |
| | | |
| 1 | Reports | 3 |
| 1.1 | The Scientist as Writer | 3 |
| 1.1.1 | Communication in the Natural Sciences | 3 |
| 1.1.2 | The Maintenance of Quality in Science | 8 |
| 1.2 | The Purpose and Significance of a Scientific "Report" | 12 |
| 1.3 | The Laboratory Notebook | 15 |
| 1.3.1 | The Role and Form of a Scientist's Notebook | 15 |
| 1.3.2 | Content
Heading and Introduction - The Experimental Section - A Scientist's Ethical Responsibilities | 21 |
| 1.3.3 | Organizational Matters
What is an Experiment? - Experiment Numbers | 27 |
| 1.4 | From Laboratory Notebook Entries to a Formal Report | 31 |
| 1.4.1 | Describing an Experiment | 31 |
| 1.4.2 | The Preparation of a Formal Report
Proposed Subdivisions: An Outline - Drafting the Text - First Refinements: Perfecting the Language - Suggestions Related to Writing Style - Subsequent Drafts - Finished Copy | 34 |
| 1.5 | Various Types of Reports | 47 |
| 1.5.1 | The Academic Environment: Laboratory Reports, Grant Proposals, and the Like | 47 |
| 1.5.2 | The Corporate Environment: Technical Documentation | 52 |
| 1.5.3 | Commissioned Reports | 54 |
| 2 | Dissertations | 57 |
| 2.1 | Nature and Purpose | 57 |
| 2.2 | The Components of a Dissertation | 60 |
| 2.2.1 | Overview | 60 |
| 2.2.2 | Title and Title Page | 63 |
| 2.2.3 | Abstract | 65 |
| 2.2.4 | Preface | 66 |
| 2.2.5 | Table of Contents; Section Headings
Basic Considerations - Headings and Hierarchical Structure - Structure and Form; Decimal Classification | 67 |
| 2.2.6 | Introduction | 74 |
| 2.2.7 | Results | 77 |
| 2.2.8 | Discussion | 80 |
| 2.2.9 | Conclusions | 81 |
| 2.2.10 | Experimental Section | 82 |
| 2.2.11 | References Section and Miscellaneous Component | 83 |
| 2.3 | Preparing the Dissertation | 86 |
| 2.3.1 | From Outline to Final Draft
Developing a Concept - Writing Techniques | 86 |
| 2.3.2 | The Final Product: A First-Rate Doctoral Dissertation | 93 |
| 2.3.3 | The "Electronic Dissertation" | 94 |
| 2.3.4 | Last Steps on the Road Toward Acquiring Your Degree | 95 |
| 3 | Journal Articles | 97 |
| 3.1 | The Scholarly Journal as a Medium of Communication | 97 |
| 3.1.1 | "Publication" as a Concept | 97 |
| 3.1.2 | "Electronic Publication": Its Nature as Defined by Early Manifestations
The Beginnings - The Prototype E-Journal: Current Clinical Trials - Further Ramifications of the Digital Revolution - Questions of "Permanence" - The Road Ahead - Effective and Efficient Acquisition of Information - The Quest for Knowledge | 101 |
| 3.1.3 | More from the World of Tomorrow (or Today!)
Professional vs. Private Publication - The Scene Today - The Current State of the Electronic "Environment" - Information Acquisition Today: Search Capabilities - "Markup" of an Electronic Document - Authors and Authorship in the Twenty-First Century | 112 |
| 3.1.4 | The Various Types of Journals | 129 |
| 3.2 | Decisions Prior to Publication | 132 |
| 3.2.1 | Publish When? | 132 |
| 3.2.2 | Publish What, and With Whom? | 134 |
| 3.2.3 | Publish In What Form? | 139 |
| 3.2.4 | Publish Where? | 141 |
| 3.3 | The Components of a Journal Article | 144 |
| 3.3.1 | General Observations; Title and Authorship | 144 |
| 3.3.2 | Abstract | 146 |
| 3.3.3 | The Actual Article | 148 |
| 3.4 | Preparing the Manuscript | 150 |
| 3.4.1 | Text
Introduction - Matters of Form | 150 |
| 3.4.2 | Formulas and Equations | 154 |
| 3.4.3 | Figures
A Figure or a Table? - The Processing of Figures - Relating Figures to the Accompanying Text - Miscellaneous Matters | 157 |
| 3.4.4 | Tables | 164 |
| 3.4.5 | Footnotes and Other "Interjections" | 165 |
| 3.4.6 | Special Considerations Applicable to Direct Reproduction | 168 |
| 3.5 | From Manuscript to Publication | 169 |
| 3.5.1 | Publishers and Editors
Publishing Houses - Editors and Editing | 169 |
| 3.5.2 | Submitting the Manuscript | 174 |
| 3.5.3 | Manuscript Review | 177 |
| 3.5.4 | Editing, Typesetting, and Page Proofs | 180 |
| 3.5.5 | Proofreading
The Art of Proofreading - Marking the Mistakes | 184 |
| 4 | Books | 189 |
| 4.1 | Preliminary Thoughts | 189 |
| 4.1.1 | What Is a Book? | 189 |
| 4.1.2 | Where Do Books Come From? | 193 |
| 4.1.3 | What Are Books For? | 197 |
| 4.1.4 | Collaborating With a Publishing House | 204 |
| 4.2 | Planning and Preparation | 208 |
| 4.2.1 | First Drafts of the Title, Outline, and Preface | 208 |
| 4.2.2 | Sample Chapter | 210 |
| 4.3 | Developing the Manuscript | 213 |
| 4.3.1 | Organizational Considerations | 213 |
| 4.3.2 | Assembling the Background Literature | 219 |
| 4.3.3 | The Structure of the Book | 221 |
| 4.3.4 | Developing the Content
First Draft - The "Special Features" - Revision | 222 |
| 4.3.5 | Final Copy
Text - Other Elements | 225 |
| 4.4 | Typesetting and Printing | 230 |
| 4.4.1 | Processing the Manuscript | 230 |
| 4.4.2 | Page-Proof and Galley-Proof Correction | 232 |
| 4.5 | Final Steps | 238 |
| 4.5.1 | Index Preparation | 238 |
| 4.5.2 | Title Pages | 248 |
| 4.5.3 | Binding | 251 |
| | | |
| II | Materials, Tools, and Methods in Scientific Writing | |
| | | |
| 5 | Writing Techniques | 255 |
| 5.1 | Introduction | 255 |
| 5.2 | Word Processing and Page Layout | 258 |
| 5.2.1 | Hardware and Operating Systems
The Personal Computer - Keyboards - Miscellaneous Peripheral Components - Printers | 258 |
| 5.2.2 | Word-Processing and Page-Layout Software | 277 |
| 5.3 | Writing and Formatting with a Computer | 281 |
| 5.3.1 | Becoming Accustomed to Your System
The Basics Mouse Techniques - Windows and Toolbars - Text-Window Properties - Marking (Highlighting) - Formatting - Customization | 281 |
| 5.3.2 | The Utilization of Word-Processing Software
A Writer's Dream Come True - The Benefits Conferred by Word Processing | 294 |
| 5.3.3 | Advanced Aspects of Text Editing
Formats, Patterns, Styles, and Templates - Character Sets - "Styles" - AutoText Entries - Subdivisions - Anticipating the Needfor an Index - Spell Checking - Search Operations - Editing Functions | 299 |
| 5.4 | Digital Data and Electronic Publishing | 311 |
| 5.4.1 | The Digital or Electronic Manuscript
Basic Considerations - File Formats - Structured Markup Systems -Special Considerations Applicable to Electronic Manuscripts that Require Typesetting | 311 |
| 5.4.2 | Electronic Editing
Desktop Publishing - Strategic Considerations | 324 |
| 5.5 | General Formatting Guidelines | 331 |
| 5.5.1 | Text
Fonts and Units of Measure in Typography - Specific Type Fonts and Document Formats - Manuscript Style and Markup - Headings, Paragraphs, Equations, and Lists - Footnotes | 331 |
| 5.5.2 | Preparation of Final Copy | 348 |
| 6 | Formulas | 351 |
| 6.1 | Quantities | 351 |
| 6.1.1 | Quantities and Dimensions | 351 |
| 6.1.2 | Derived Quantities and Functions | 358 |
| 6.1.3 | More Regarding Symbols and Their Representation | 362 |
| 6.1.4 | Quantitative Expressions | 366 |
| 6.2 | SI Units | 368 |
| 6.2.1 | Base Units and Derived Units | 368 |
| 6.2.2 | Derived Units and "Supplementary" Units | 370 |
| 6.2.3 | Prefixes, Decimal Points, and Other Stylistic Matters | 375 |
| 6.3 | Special Units in Chemistry | 377 |
| 6.3.1 | "Amount of Substance" and the Mole | 377 |
| 6.3.2 | Molar Quantities and Mixtures of Substances | 378 |
| 6.4 | Numbers and Numerical Data | 381 |
| 6.5 | Working with Formulas and Equations | 386 |
| 6.5.1 | Combining Text with Equations | 386 |
| 6.5.2 | "Stacked" Expressions and "Fragmented" Formulas | 388 |
| 6.5.3 | Indices | 390 |
| 6.5.4 | Frequently Encountered Special Symbols | 391 |
| 6.5.5 | Additional Rules for Writing Formulas | 395 |
| 6.5.6 | Spacing | 398 |
| 6.6 | Programmed Typesetting of Formulas | 400 |
| 6.6.1 | LATEX as a Formula Generator | 400 |
| 6.6.2 | LATEX and Text | 408 |
| 6.7 | MATHTYPE and MATHML | 410 |
| 7 | Figures | 413 |
| 7.1 | General Considerations | 413 |
| 7.1.1 | Figures and Figure Numbers | 413 |
| 7.1.2 | Figure Captions
Figure Identifiers and Titles - Legends - Miscellaneous Technical Observations - Legal Matters: The Citation of Figures | 515 |
| 7.2 | Line Art | 422 |
| 7.2.1 | What Is Line Art? | 422 |
| 7.2.2 | The Preparation of Line Drawings
Useful Equipment - The Fundamentals | 426 |
| 7.2.3 | Coordinate Diagrams
Graphic Presentations Based on a Set of Coordinate Axes - Technical Considerations - Scaling - Axis Labels | 430 |
| 7.2.4 | Schematic Drawings and Graphs of Miscellaneous Types | 442 |
| 7.2.5 | Structural Formulas in Chemistry | 446 |
| 7.3 | Drawing With a Computer | 449 |
| 7.3.1 | Overview, and an Introduction to Vector Graphics | 449 |
| 7.3.2 | Miscellaneous Observations | 452 |
| 7.4 | Halftones | 454 |
| 7.5 | Overview of Software Useful in Editing Figures, both Line Drawings and Vector Graphics | 458 |
| 8 | Tables | 461 |
| 8.1 | The Logic Behind a Table | 461 |
| 8.2 | The Significance of a Table | 465 |
| 8.3 | The Form of a Table | 468 |
| 8.4 | The Components of a Table | 471 |
| 8.4.1 | Table Title | 471 |
| 8.4.2 | Table Heading
Simple Table Heads - Working with Units - Structured Table Headings | 472 |
| 8.4.3 | Table Content | 476 |
| 8.4.4 | Table Footnotes | 481 |
| 8.5 | Worksheets, Lists, and Databases | 481 |
| 8.5.1 | Spreadsheets and Worksheets | 481 |
| 8.5.2 | Databases | 483 |
| 9 | Collecting and Citing the Literature | 489 |
| 9.1 | The Acquisition of Information | 489 |
| 9.1.1 | Reading and Evaluating the Professional Literature | 489 |
| 9.1.2 | Effective Use of a Specialized Library
"Classical" Resources - The Organization of a Library - The Library of the Twenty-First Century | 492 |
| 9.2 | Building One's Own Literature Collection | 499 |
| 9.2.1 | An Author Catalogue | 499 |
| 9.2.2 | The Computer-Supported Literature Collection | 507 |
| 9.3 | Citation Techniques | 511 |
| 9.3.1 | Citing and Citations | 511 |
| 9.3.2 | The Numerical System | 514 |
| 9.3.3 | The Name-Date System | 516 |
| 9.3.4 | A Comparison of the Two Systems | 519 |
| 9.4 | The Form of a Citation | 520 |
| 9.4.1 | Standards of Quality | 520 |
| 9.4.2 | Standardization in Citation Practice
Background - The Vancouver Convention The Current Outlook | 523 |
| 9.5 | Anatomy of a Source Description | 527 |
| 9.5.1 | General Characteristics | 527 |
| 9.5.2 | Sources of Various Types
Books and Journals - Miscellaneous Documents and Sources | 529 |
| | | |
| | Appendices | |
| | | |
| A | Reference Formats | 537 |
| B | Selected Quantities, Units, and Constants | 544 |
| C | The 20 Commandments of Electronic Manuscripts | 547 |
| D | Conversion Tips | 549 |
| D.1 | Conversions Between the MACINTOSH and WINDOWS Worlds | 549 |
| D.2 | File Conversions Involving Two Different Layout Programs | 550 |
| | | |
| | Literature | 554 |
| | | |
| | Index | 560 |
